YA/Avon/Eos crossover blog & giveaway: Michael Grant interview!

Thanks to an evil idea from Avon Romance, Eos, Avon and Inkpop have switched roles (or at least blogs) for the day. Here we interview Michael Grant, author of LIES: A Gone Novel.

In the Gone novels, it's been seven months since all the adults disappeared. Completely.

Inside the Mind of an Author: Michael Grant

Ever wonder what goes on inside the minds of those crazy, interesting, and creative people we call authors? Well at inkpop.com, we do too. inkpop.com is HarperCollins’s new writing community for aspiring authors who write teen oriented books. Since most people who write, love authors and books too, we host a weekly blog post that goes where no other blog has gone before, “Inside the Mind of an Author”.

This week we have Michael Grant, author of the new book LIES, talking to us about the writing process.

Q: YA fiction is an area pretty much dominated by female authors. How did you come to write in this area?

A: Oddly enough, I am myself dominated by a female author, my wife K.A. Applegate. Kidding. (Not really.) She started writing books for middle grade and YA and I thought, “Well, if she can do it so can I.”

Q: If you could name three elements that helped your series really stand out, and ultimately land a publishing contract, what would those elements be?

A: Well, that’s a hard question to answer without sounding like some kind of egomaniac. (I am an egomaniac, but I don’t like sounding like one.)

I try to write in a straightforward style and simply tell a story. I don’t like to write in a way that says, “Hey, look at my great simile here.” The books aren’t about me they’re about the characters and what the characters do. I try to disappear and let the characters run things.

Second, I don’t talk down to readers….I write just as if I were writing for adults. I also don’t lecture readers. I am a parent to my own kids, but I’m not a parent to readers, I’m an entertainer. Job one: keep the readers up all night and make it impossible for them to put the book down.

Third, I don’t plan books out in advance. This probably sounds crazy because GONE books are very plot-heavy. But if I were to plan in advance I would end up missing opportunities along the way. I never ask “What are the rules, what should I be writing?” I only ask “What would Sam do in this situation? How would Lana react? How does Caine move to defeat Sam?” The characters have to drive the details of the plot, and when you let that happen you get a sort of wilder, less predictable story. And it’s more fun to write.

Q: Do you have an audience in mind when you write? Who do you write for? What do you do to make sure you work appeals to that audience?

A: Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. When I think about the readers it’s usually along the lines of, “Okay, that scene will give ‘em nightmares.” And then I laugh in an evil sort of way. I sometimes think of the audience as people I have to outwit, to out-think. I don’t want them being able to guess what I’m up to.

Q: What other authors do you read? What draws you to their work?

A: I’m a big fan of Scott Westerfeld, of my friend Andrew Smith, of a new guy coming on the scene named Jeff Sampson -- who we sort of mentored a bit early on -- and of course of my wife. But I read very little fiction because when I’m writing (which is pretty much all the time). I find other people’s fiction distracting. So I tend to read history.

Q: If you had to put a soundtrack to your book, what songs would on it?

A: Interesting question, and I have to preface this by saying my musical tastes are not always PG. I usually listen to music while I’m writing first drafts. If any one group provides the background music it’s Rancid, and Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong’s solo work. Also Green Day, the Ramones, Joan Jett, Offspring, Buddy Guy, The Thermals, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Rolling Stones, Hollywood Undead, Against Me, Zeppelin, Nirvana. The two songs I’ve probably used most to kind of motivate myself to get going are Tim Armstrong’s “Into Action” and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

Want to hear more about LIES or win free books from HarperTeen? Check out our Lies writing challenge. Or comment here and be entered into a drawing for a chance to receive a free copy of GONE, Joss Ware’s ABANDON THE NIGHT, and Jocelynn Drake's NIGHTWALKER!

And don't miss the rest of our blog crossover--Eos author Jocelynn Drake is featured on www.avonromance.com, and Avon author Joss Ware is on inkpop.com!

Comments

i read YA so i have seen the gone novels around and i've always been intrigued but i haven't really checked them out. like i said in the other blog, this crossover was a great idea. now i have two author recs (michael grant and jocelynn drake). thanks!

This crossover is the best thing I've come across is awhile! I read many different genres including romance and YA. I am a fan of Joss Ware and saw that she was on inkpop today which then led me here. I haven't read the Gone series, but this definitely peaked my interest.

@Jacqueline~ Joss Ware recently wrote a series called the Envy Chronicles set 50 yrs after the apocalypse. Very cool series with 3 already released and more to come :) Check her out on inkpop today I promise you won't be disappointed.